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Hidden amongst the trove are staff magazines from both the First and Second World War, tracking the stories of Boots workers during that period and, given the huge losses suffered in both conflicts, the deaths of many of their colleagues.

Photographs showcase the hundreds of Boots stores that have opened over the decades while on the shelving immediately at the entrance of the room, there are historical objects to marvel at.

Pestle and mortars, storage jars and carboys which would have held coloured water - the symbol of a chemist shop - are all displayed, as well as a wicker baby-weighing device, early inhalers and even Boots sports and games competition trophies, such as the company's Cribbage Challenge Cup.

Mrs Clapp said: "It's predominantly archives. It's predominantly paper-based, so its records of the activities of the organisation.

"We have little material on the Boot family, sadly, but we have a really comprehensive collection, particularly on the product history of Boots, and a huge collection of photographs and plans of stores and sites, so its a fabulously wealthy and rich collection for researchers.

"I always say we are biased but it is a really interesting collection, not least because of the variety of materials. We do have museum objects as well as archives - which I think is quite unusual for an archive.

Artefacts within the archives

"We also have in Boots' history a really interesting mix of activities, so as well as the retail side, which most people would think of, we've got the research and development side with ibuprofen, we've got manufacturing, health and beauty.

"It's a social history of the high street really, which makes it really interesting.

"We are always learning new things and locally it is always surprising and rewarding when you speak to people in Nottingham about how they feel about the business.

"If they have a connection and they then tell you their stories that adds extra richness."

Thomas Bell, assistant archivist at Boots, explains how even the more unusual objects showcase just how ahead of its time Boots was.

Referring to the baby-weighing scale, he says: "That would just be what you used to do, you would go to Boots to weigh your baby. Before the NHS this is where you would go for these types of services."

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The last few months have been a busy time for the archives team as they got involved in a heritage wall, which charts the 170 years of Boots.

Now taking pride of place in D90, one of the main offices in Boots' Beeston site, the wall boasts pictures, quotes from former bosses, adverts and relics from years gone by.

This includes some of the first Boots signs created and throwbacks to some of the sections you wouldn't find today in your local Boots store, such as the "Booklovers Library".

The Heritage Wall at Boots

Mrs Clapp said: "For me it was about unlocking some of those amazing things that we have done that I guess not many people know about.

"That we were making healthcare accessible is the strongest narrative that comes out. What hopefully also comes out is that Boots hasn't changed that much, that it's always been here in Nottingham, it's always been about accessible healthcare and hopefully that shows through, through the timeline."

Mr Bell added: "We are really fortunate working in the archives. We get to delve into this information, it's our responsibility to show these success stories and we get satisfaction seeing these things done."

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The high street chain made more than 20,000 documents available for viewing in 2017, when it released its online archive.

The work to move many of the archives to a digital platform has continued apace since then. The next steps in the project is to make digitally available all the staff magazines from the period of the two World Wars.

But it is not just about the past, the archive team is always receiving new documents and artifacts to add to the vast collection.